Can MDM Meet Modern Demands? The Case for Unified Endpoint Management

For today’s IT and security leaders, all-encompassing endpoint management is a strategic imperative. IT teams are responsible for managing and securing a wide variety of device types and platform versions in an ever-evolving endpoint technology landscape that includes:

Legacy platforms that are being phased out—in particular, Windows 7 reaching EOL in January 2020.

Innovative Windows 10 and macOS devices that blur the lines between laptops and tablets.

New technologies—most notably the Internet of Things (IoT) and wearables—that create security risks that demand intelligent and comprehensive management solutions.

Traditional mobile device management (MDM) and enterprise mobility management (EMM) approaches are not fit for the challenge of keeping everything protected—and keeping organizations in compliance with industry standards and global regulations. The world is much different now:

Sensitive corporate and client data is making its way into more places.

The regulatory climate is becoming more stringent, as evidenced by the adoption of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe as of May 25, 2018.

What the modern enterprise needs is a tool that is capable of providing centralized visibility, control, and security for all endpoints, users, applications, content, and data. This next-generation solution is known as unified endpoint management (UEM). This new approach changes the dynamics of how IT teams secure and manage their modern endpoint environments.

Unified Endpoint Management for Dummies

Read on to receive an overview of unified endpoint management (UEM), why it’s necessary, how it addresses complex problems encountered in the modern enterprise, and where IT can turn for help.

Why UEM, why now?It’s no surprise that savvy IT teams are turning to UEM as an upgrade over and replacement for legacy MDM/EMM solutions. A modern UEM approach uses a combination of MDM APIs and agent-based technology to consolidate all endpoint security and management tasks.

This blend of techniques enables administrators to set and enforce security policies, enable over-the-air (OTA) enrollment, consistently apply patches and updates, and simplify migrations to new platforms and OS versions.

What to look for in your UEMA UEM solution that is capable of responding to modern day use cases for endpoints and mobile devices should:

Deliver a single console to manage and secure all endpoints, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, ruggedized devices, wearables and IoT.

Support every platform and OS version, including iOS, macOS, Android, Chrome OS and Windows 10, as well as legacy platforms such as Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Centrally apply and enforce policies, including the ability to lock down devices, wipe them if they are compromised and ensure they are being used in accordance with corporate policies.

Use AI and cognitive technology to reduce security risks, drive productivity gains for IT teams, enhance the user experience and make device lifecycle management simpler, safer and smarter.

Making moves to a better endpoint management approachWhen it comes to managing endpoints, there’s a new game in town. UEM offers a modern approach to achieve best practices in managing and securing today’s ever-changing endpoint environment.

Using MaaS360, organizations can consolidate management of all their endpoints in one place—leveraging AI and cognitive capabilities to simplify tasks for IT teams and deliver a great experience for users.

Delivered through the cloud, MaaS360 is free to try for 30 days. With full production access, administrators can easily enroll devices and familiarize themselves with all of the features and functionality that the industry-leading cognitive UEM has to offer. Try it today and experience the difference by visiting IBM.com/MaaS360.